While this creature is considered by many to
be the creation of horror writer Algernon Blackwood in his classic terror
tale, "The Wendigo", this woods spirit was, and is, very real to many in the
northern woods and prairies of the state. Many legends and stories have
circulated over the years about a mysterious creature who was encountered by
hunters and campers in the shadowy forests of the upper regions of Minnesota.
In one variation of the story, the creature could only be seen if it faced the
witness head-on, because it was so thin that it could not be seen from the
side. The spirit was said to have a voracious appetite for human flesh and the
many forest dwellers who disappeared over the years were said to be victims of
the monster.

The American Indians had their own
tales of the Wendigo, dating back so many years that most who were interviewed
could not remember when the story had not been told. The Inuit Indians of the
region called the creature by various names, including Wendigo, Witigo, Witiko
and Wee-Tee-Go but each of them was roughly translated to mean "the evil
spirit that devours mankind". Around 1860, a German explorer translated
Wendigo to mean "cannibal" among the tribes along the Great Lakes.

Native American versions of the creature
spoke of a gigantic spirit, over fifteen feet tall, that had once been human
but had been transformed into a creature by the use of magic. Though all of
the descriptions of the creature vary slightly, the Wendigo is generally said
to have glowing eyes, long yellowed fangs and overly long tongues. Most have a
sallow, yellowish skin but others are said to be matted with hair. They are
tall and lanky and are driven by a horrible hunger. But how would a person
grow to become one of this strange creatures?

According to the lore, the Wendigo is
created whenever a human resorts to cannibalism to survive. In years past,
such a practice was possible, although still rare, as many of the tribes and
settlers in the region were cut off by the bitter snows and ice of the north
woods. Unfortunately, eating another person to survive was sometimes resorted
to and thus, the legend of the Wendigo was created.

But how real were (or are) these creatures?
Could the legend of the Wendigo have been created merely as a "warning"
against cannibalism? Or could sightings of Bigfoot-type creatures have created
the stories. While this is unknown, it is believed that white settlers to the
region took the stories seriously. At times, they even took the sightings and
reports quite seriously and made it enough of the local culture that stories
like those of Algernon Blackwood were penned. Real-life stories were told as
well and according to the settlers' version of the legend, the Wendigo would
often be seen (banshee-like) to signal a death in the community. A Wendigo
allegedly made a number of appearances near a town called Rosesu in Northern
Minnesota from the late 1800's through the 1920's. Each time that it was
reported, an unexpected death followed and finally, it was seen no more.

Even into the last century, Native Americans
actively believed in, and searched for, the Wendigo. One of the most famous
Wendigo hunters was a Cree Indian named Jack Fiddler. He claimed to kill at
least 14 of the creatures in his lifetime, although the last murder resulted
in his imprisonment at the age of 87. In October 1907, Fiddler and his son,
Joseph, were tried for the murder of a Cree Indian woman. They both pleaded
guilty to the crime but defended themselves by stating that the woman had been
possessed by the spirit of a Wendigo and was on the verge of transforming into
one entirely. According to their defense, she had to be killed before she
murdered other members of the tribe.

There are still many stories told of
Wendigo's that have been seen in northern Ontario, near the Cave of the
Wendigo, and around the town of Kenora, where a creature has been spotted by
traders, trackers and trappers for decades. There are many who still believe
that the Wendigo roams the woods and the prairies of northern Minnesota and
Canada. Whether it seeks human flesh, or acts as a portent of coming doom, is
anyone's guess but before you start to doubt that it exists - remember that
the stories and legends of this fearsome creature have been around since
before the white man walked on these shores. The legends had to have gotten
started somehow, didn't they?